FR Doc 03-9306
[Federal Register: April 16, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 73)]
[Notices]
[Page 18601-18603]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr16ap03-35]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
RIN 1820 ZA24
National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research
AGENCY: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services,
Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of proposed priority and selection criterion.
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SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services proposes a priority for Collaborative Research
Projects in Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) under the Disability and
Rehabilitation Research Projects (DRRP) Program under the National
Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). The
Assistant Secretary may use this priority for competitions in fiscal
year (FY) 2003 and later years. We take this action to focus research
attention on an identified national need. We intend this priority to
improve rehabilitation services and outcomes for individuals with
disabilities.
DATES: We must receive your comments on or before May 16, 2003.
ADDRESSES: Address all comments about this proposed priority to Donna
Nangle, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room
3412, Switzer Building, Washington, DC 20202-2645. If you prefer to
send your comments through the Internet, use the following address:
donna.nangle@ed.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Donna Nangle. Telephone: (202) 205-
5880.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the TDD number at (202) 205-4475 or via the Internet:
donna.nangle@ed.gov. Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request to the contact person listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Invitation to Comment
We invite you to submit comments regarding this proposed priority.
We invite you to assist us in complying with the specific
requirements of Executive Order 12866 and its overall requirement of
reducing regulatory burden that might result from this proposed
priority. Please let us know of any further opportunities we should
take to reduce potential costs or increase potential benefits while
preserving the effective and efficient administration of the program.
During and after the comment period, you may inspect all public
comments about this priority in Room 3412, Switzer Building, 330 C
Street, SW., Washington, DC, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.,
Eastern time, Monday through Friday of each week except Federal
holidays.
Assistance to Individuals With Disabilities in Reviewing the Rulemaking
Record
On request, we will supply an appropriate aid, such as a reader or
print magnifier, to an individual with a disability who needs
assistance to review the comments or other documents in the public
rulemaking record for this proposed priority. If you want to schedule
an appointment for this type of aid, please contact the person listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
We will announce the final priority in a notice in the Federal
Register. We will determine the final priority after considering
responses to this notice and other information available to the
Department. This notice does not
[[Page 18602]]
preclude us from proposing or funding additional priorities, subject to
meeting applicable rulemaking requirements.
Note: This notice does not solicit applications. In any year in
which we choose to use this proposed priority, we invite
applications through a notice published in the Federal Register.
When inviting applications we designate each priority as absolute,
competitive preference, or invitational. The effect of each type of
priority follows:
Absolute priority: Under an absolute priority, we consider only
applications that meet the priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(3)).
Competitive preference priority: Under a competitive preference
priority, we give competitive preference to an application by either
(1) awarding additional points, depending on how well or the extent to
which the application meets the priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i)); or
(2) selecting an application that meets the competitive priority over
an application of comparable merit that does not meet the competitive
priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(ii)).
Invitational priority: Under an invitational priority, we are
particularly interested in applications that meet the invitational
priority. However, we do not give an application that meets the
priority a competitive or absolute preference over other applications
(34 CFR 75.105(c)(1)).
Note: The proposed priority supports President Bush's New
Freedom Initiative (NFI). The NFI can be accessed on the Internet at
the following site: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/freedominitiative/freedominitiative.html.
The proposed priority is also in concert with NIDRR's Long-Range
Plan (the Plan), which can be accessed on the Internet at the following
site: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/NIDRR/Products/.
Through the implementation of the NFI and the Plan, NIDRR seeks to:
(1) Improve the quality and utility of disability and rehabilitation
research; (2) foster an exchange of expertise, information, and
training to facilitate the advancement of knowledge and understanding
of the unique needs of traditionally underserved populations; (3)
determine best strategies and programs to improve rehabilitation
outcomes for underserved populations; (4) identify research gaps; (5)
identify mechanisms for integrating research and practice; and (6)
disseminate findings.
Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects (DRRP) Program
The purpose of the DRRP Program is to plan and conduct research,
demonstration projects, training, and related activities that help to
maximize the full inclusion and integration of individuals with
disabilities into society and to improve the effectiveness of services
authorized under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (the Act).
An applicant for assistance under this program must demonstrate in its
application how it will address, in whole or in part, the needs of
individuals with disabilities from minority backgrounds (34 CFR
350.40(a)). The approaches an applicant may take to meet this
requirement are found in 34 CFR 350.40(b).
General DRRP Requirements
[sbull] Involve, as appropriate, individuals with disabilities or
their family members, or both, and persons who are members of groups
that have traditionally been underrepresented in all aspects of the
research as well as in design of clinical services and dissemination
activities.
[sbull] Demonstrate knowledge of culturally appropriate methods of
data collection, including understanding of culturally sensitive
measurement approaches.
[sbull] Collaborate with other related projects, including the
other funded Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems (TBIMS) projects.
Priority
Background
In 1987, NIDRR established the TBI Model System (TBIMS) program by
funding four projects to provide comprehensive, multidisciplinary
rehabilitation services to persons who experience TBI and to conduct
research to foster advances in TBI rehabilitation. Most recently, in FY
2002, NIDRR funded 16 TBIMS projects. The focus of these projects is
research on interventions to improve outcomes for individuals who
experience TBI. Contact information and abstracts on these 16 TBI Model
Systems can be found at the National Rehabilitation Information Center
(NARIC), http://www.naric.com/search/pd/browse.html,
by scrolling down to the Health and Function chapter, and clicking on the link to the TBI
projects.
The TBIMS projects serve a substantial number of individuals,
allowing the projects to conduct clinical and community-based research
and program evaluation. In addition, TBIMS projects contribute data on
model systems patients to the TBI National Data Base maintained by the
TBI National Data Center (http://www.tbindc.org) housed at Kessler
Medical Rehabilitation Research and Education Corporation. Information
is currently collected throughout the rehabilitation process, including
points following discharge from the rehabilitation facility allowing
for long-term follow-up of persons with TBI. There are currently over
3500 cases in this database.
As discussed, TBI model systems projects provide care to TBI
survivors, contribute to the national database, and conduct focused
research projects. NIDRR seeks to build upon the capacity within the
model systems by providing funding to support large-scale collaborative
research projects such as randomized trials or observational research
that requires large sample sizes. These collaborative research efforts
must include at least three existing model systems projects, but may
also include non-model systems entities. You may obtain additional
information about the background of this priority by contacting the
person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Proposed Priority
The Assistant Secretary proposes to fund Traumatic Brain Injury
collaborative research projects for the purpose of generating new
knowledge through research to improve treatment and services delivery
outcomes for persons with TBI. A collaborative research project must:
(1) Collaborate with three or more of the 16 NIDRR TBI Model
Systems projects;
(2) Conduct research on questions of significance to TBI
rehabilitation, using clearly identified research designs such as
randomized control trials, observational research methodologies, or
longitudinal studies. The research must focus on areas identified in
the NFI and the Plan, ensuring that each project has sufficient sample
size and methodological rigor to generate robust findings.
(3) Areas of interest include health and function, technology for
function, community integration and independent living, employment, and
long-term outcomes.
(4) Disseminate research findings to clinical and consumer
audiences, using accessible formats.
(5) Evaluate impact of research findings on improved outcomes for
persons with TBI.
[[Page 18603]]
Proposed Selection Criterion
The emphasis on research rigor plus the importance of the
collaborative research program require a modification to the selection
criteria for this program. The Secretary proposes to add a criterion to
reflect increased emphasis on research management. This criterion reads
as follows: There must be a clearly delineated plan for research
management, with focus on quality controls for data collection,
management of research protocols, and provisions for oversight at
collaborating sites.
Executive Order 12866
This notice of proposed priority has been reviewed in accordance
with Executive Order 12866. Under the terms of the order, we have
assessed the potential costs and benefits of this regulatory action.
The potential costs associated with the notice of proposed priority
are those resulting from statutory requirements and those we have
determined as necessary for administering this program effectively and
efficiently.
In assessing the potential costs and benefits--both quantitative
and qualitative--of this notice of proposed priority, we have
determined that the benefits of the proposed priority justify the
costs.
Summary of potential costs and benefits: The potential cost
associated with this proposed priority is minimal while the benefits
are significant. Grantees may anticipate costs associated with
completing the application process in terms of staff time, copying, and
mailing or delivery. The use of e-Application technology reduces
mailing and copying costs significantly.
The benefits of the TBIMS and collaborative projects have been well
established over the years that similar projects have been completed.
This proposed priority will generate new knowledge through research to
improve treatment and services delivery outcomes for persons with TBI
through collaborative research projects.
The benefit of this proposed priority and proposed application and
project requirements will be the establishment of new collaborative
projects that support the President's NFI.
Applicable Program Regulations: 34 CFR part 350.
Electronic Access to This Document
You may view this document, as well as all other Department of
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site:
http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/.
To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available
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Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in
the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.
Note: The official version of this document is published in the
Federal Register. Free Internet access to the official edition of
the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations is
available on GPO Access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 84.133A, Disability
Rehabilitation Research Project)
Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 762(g) and 764(b).
Dated: April 11, 2003.
Robert H. Pasternack,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 03-9306 Filed 4-15-03; 8:45 am]
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